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I usually go for a guide but in this case I took the word of another poster and picked up an audio guide. It is or was very crowded and I saw the groups with a guide and they were having a hard time keeping together. I was glad I could listen to the guide at my own pace and hear it too! Hope that helps.

I used both and don't think you would go wrong with either, but I must admit that I was very impressed with the guide, who provided a lot of information that wasn't covered by the audio and took the time to answer individual questions.

We were there in April and booked timed tickets with the English speaking guide. She was very good. I don't think we had as many as 35 people. Probably closer to 20. The guide narrates the tour through headphones so the number did not matter much. I would recommend the tour. Buy tickets in advance. Make sure you buy advance tickets to Park Guell as well because they sometimes book up a couple of days in advance.

I also highly recommend to take the guided tour. Would most probably add immensely to the experience. I thought I knew a lot about both the church and Gaudí before visiting a couple of years ago, but the very knowledgeable guide made of course a huge difference. Took questions and elaborated on details that the audio guide for sure wouldn't tell you. And only 2€ more.